Going on Vacation

We are heading out in just a few minutes to go to Portland, OR to visit Nathan's family for the week. We are so excited!!! While we are there, Baby Nate will turn one year old. It is so hard to believe that it has been a year since he was born. Anyway, back to the trip. Tomorrow, I plan on shopping with my sister-in-law, and then we will be visiting Nathan's parent's home in the evening. We are staying with his best friend Rob and his wife and son for the first two nights, and then Friday and Saturday nights we are going to Cannon Beach with all of Nathan's family and staying at a family favorite, Tolovana Inn. The last night, the kids are staying with their Aunt Anne and Uncle Nathan while Nathan has a special night for me planned. Pray for me, because I have never left my children over night...this will be difficult, even though I know the time alone with my husband is so important. So, when we get back I will update you all on how things went. Have a great week!!!

The Barney Song

So, Brianna has always loved the "Barney Song." When she was a baby, we figured out that if we would sing it to her, we would get a great big hug at the end of it. So, she has recently just started singing so many songs, one of which is the "Barney Song."

Organizing

Organizing is something that I really like to do, and I LOVE having a home that is organized. However, with my children, I have learned that being organized is not the most important thing in my home. So, I have actually let a few things go unorganized over the past two years since we moved to AK. Today, I spent the better part of the afternoon and evening organizing all of the clothes that we have accumulated for my children. You need to realize, that when I had Brianna, I had two baby showers, and I got so much stuff at them. And I also had someone in OK give me three huge boxes of clothes for her, and then when two of my friends in AK moved, they both gave me a ton of clothes for Brianna. So, I had boxes and boxes of little girl clothes. Oh, and I love to shop...so that means I had even more clothes. So, I sorted and folded clothes all day, and got all the clothes I am keeping into tubs- organized by size. I even organized the boy clothes, although, I didn't have nearly as much. My rule was that if one size of clothes didn't fit into one tub, than I needed to get rid of more clothes in that size. I called a friend from church who just had a little girl two weeks ago, and I gave her two big bags full of clothes. I told her to use what she wants and pass along the rest. I also have another bag of girl clothes for another friend of mine to have. And, I even have a bag of little boy clothes to give away to whoever will take it. I feel like I have conquered a huge mess in my home today. All I have left to do is label the boxes and put them back in the garage. Hmmm....that last part sounds like a good project for Nathan this weekend!!!

Update

Here are my precious little blessings!

Here is Brianna talking on the phone to her Aunt Anne. Talking on the phone is one of her favorite things to do. She is a lot like her mother.

And, here is Baby Nate standing and taking a few of his first steps. Take note of the hilarious expression on his face.

On another note, if you have read any of the postings on my blog, you will notice that I am having surgery on Feb. 25th to fix the bunions on my feet. I will be unable to walk for the first week, on crutches for another week after that, and then I get to wear these stylish "Darth Vader" boots for about a month after that. Yeah!!! We are planning on flying my mother up here for a week or two to help take care of things at the house. And, I am sure that we will be depending heavily on our church family to help take care of the kids some as well. It is good to know that we have such a great network of friends who are willing to help out when we need it. Right now, my biggest concern is how I am going to go to the bathroom while not being able to walk for a week. Nathan has a creative solution, including a rolling chair and a rope...we'll see what happens.

My Little Man

My baby Nate is growing up. I have always called him my "little man" because he has always had this "little man" look to him. But, this week, he took his first steps by himself. While it is so much fun to see him growing up and learning new things, it is also a little sad for momma to have her baby getting so big so fast. We'll get pics of this blessed event soon. So far, we have been too preoccupied with his actual walking to try and pick up the camera at the same time.

Happy New Year!

I can not believe that it is already 2008!!! Time just flies by when you are having fun! I hope that you have all had the opportunity to sit down and contemplate what goals you want to accomplish this year. I have not been a person who consistently sets goals for myself, but Sunday evening at church Pastor Jeff Anderson challenged us to do so. He said that if you don't set a goal, then you for sure won't meet it. So, yesterday, I asked Nathan to give me a little time away from the kids to just sit and focus on what I want to accomplish this year. Following the verse "And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men" out of Luke (I don't remember the exact reference, and my Bible is where Nathan is sleeping right now) I set these goals for myself:

1. Increasing in wisdom- I would like to read one educational or informative book each month. I actually love to read, but since I had children, I have not made the time for reading.
2. Increasing in stature- Well, here, I would actually like to decrease. I would love to lose some weight, as most of America would probably like to do at this time of the year. This is something that both Nathan and I are working on together. Baby Nate is officially not breastfeeding anymore, as of last Saturday (Praise the Lord!!!), so this should make losing weight a little bit easier for me.
3. Increasing in favor with God- I really want to be more consistent in personal time with the Lord. Notice I did not say quiet time. This is because as the mother of two small children, I don't know that there is ever a quiet time, unless I am sleeping. But, even with children around me, I can take the time to meet personally with God.
4. Increasing in favor with men- I have been given a good name to uphold, both from my husband and my family in OK. I always want to strive to uphold that good name. Also, this winter I am starting to lead a ladies Bible study with some friends from church and elsewhere. I pray that the Lord uses me to guide and disciple these ladies that He has brought into my life, and I pray that I will also learn from them.

So, hopefully, I can meet all of my goals. What goals have you set for yourself? If you haven't set any goals yet, find a few minutes today to focus on what the Lord wants you to accomplish this year.

And, since my last posting, we have received some news. We are supposed to be staying here in Alaska now until May 1, 2009. This is a good thing for us as a family and for Nathan's career in the Air Force. It is a little sad that we aren't going back to OK right now, but we know that this is best for our family, and we are excited about the opportunities that it opens up for us.

So, for those of you who want to come and visit us, this is going to be the last summer that we live here. So, let us know if you will be visiting hotel Hendricks this summer. It is first come, first serve. We would love to see you. I will be heading down to OK this May with the kids for a couple of weeks when Brooke graduates from high school, and I would love to catch up friends at that time too.